Structural attachment sealing system
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for sealing structural attachments, such as solar panel mounts, often fail to create a reliable watertight seal, leading to leaks and requiring additional components like flashing and nails, which increase installation costs and vulnerability to leaks.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing an adhesive sealant injected under pressure through a sealant dispenser gun into an enclosed cavity around penetration points, ensuring a permanent airtight and watertight seal without the need for standard flashing or breaking manufacturer seals, and minimizing additional penetrations in roofs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard flashing and assemblies are used to seal roof penetrations, then some level of sealing is achieved, but installation costs increase and additional penetrations are created making the structure more vulnerable to leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sealing functions into a single integrated adhesive sealant system. The adhesive sealant simultaneously provides waterproofing, air sealing, and structural bonding functions that previously required separate flashing assemblies, fasteners, and sealing materials. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple components while maintaining or improving sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive sealant is designed as a multi-functional material that performs several roles: it acts as a waterproof barrier, an air seal, a structural adhesive for attaching mounting equipment, and a flexible accommodation for thermal movement. This universal material replaces the need for specialized flashing, sealants, and fasteners, reducing overall system complexity.
2Strength
If standard flashing and additional fasteners are used, then structural attachment is achieved, but installation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical fastening systems (screws, nails, metal flashing) with an adhesive bonding system. The adhesive sealant provides structural attachment strength through chemical bonding while eliminating the need for mechanical fasteners and metal flashing assemblies, thereby reducing material costs and installation labor.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive sealant functions as a composite material system that combines the bonding properties of adhesives with the sealing properties of elastomeric materials. This composite approach provides both structural strength and weatherproofing in a single material, eliminating the need for separate structural and sealing components.
3Reliability
If adhesive sealant is injected under pressure to fill enclosed cavity, then complete void filling and air removal is achieved, but injection pressure and equipment are required
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive sealant is formulated with preliminary air-venting characteristics that allow trapped air to escape during the injection process. The material's viscosity and flow properties are designed to automatically vent air bubbles as it fills the cavity, eliminating the need for complex venting systems or manual air removal procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive sealant's rheological parameters are specifically designed to enable pressure injection while maintaining controllability. The material transitions from a pumpable consistency during injection to a rigid or semi-rigid state after curing, providing both ease of application and final structural integrity without requiring excessive injection pressure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively eliminates leaks by creating a complete seal, reduces installation costs, and enhances structural integrity by eliminating the need for additional sealing components and minimizing roof penetrations.
Implementation Method 1
Sealant is then injected under pressure using, by way of example, a sealant dispenser gun, into an enclosed cavity around the penetration. The force from the sealant dispenser gun increases the pressure inside the enclosed cavity and forces all the air out through a vent hole.
Implementation Method 2
The system utilizes an adhesive sealant to create a permanent watertight seal at any surface penetration.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting device includes a base including an open bottom. An internal cavity is under the base for containing a sealant against with a roof when the mounting device is secured to the roof. An attachment member extends from the base. The attachment member has a first face and a second face opposite the first face. A plurality of openings are through the base for receiving a plurality of fasteners, respectively, when the mounting device is secured to the roof. The plurality of openings are in communication with the internal cavity. A sidewall of the base extends outward such that the base and the internal cavity extend beyond each of the first face and the second face.